1
Writing Speeches and Outlines Unit
LEARNING TARGET: I can write a word for word plan of my speech using 3 body paragraphs, an intro and
conclusion, and clear transitions.
STEP ONE: Body Paragraphs / Main Points
When you have finished your Unit 1 test, please complete Steps 1 & 2 for homework. We will move on tomorrow,
so it expected that you will be caught up. Write 3 lengthy paragraphs introducing yourself to the class. Fun right?!
You actually get to write about the subject you know best, you! For the next 15-20 minutes write about 3 different
topics about you and make sure your pen never stops moving. Feel free to use the following topics as inspiration and
make sure you write in complete sentences. It might help by labeling each paragraph topic. Have fun using the word
“I”! These paragraphs will eventually be shared aloud!
Topics:
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How you got your name
Your family
Your hobbies
School involvement/activities
Community involvement/activities
What you did over the summer or winter break
Places you’ve travelled or want to travel
Future plans
Your friends
Your strengths or best qualities
Favorites (food, music, movies, colors, etc.)
Your childhood/growing up
Your job
3 Paragraphs Example:
1.
How I got my name: I have a very special story connected to how I was named. My mom really wanted to
name me Samantha or Dierdre because she loved those names as a child. Even though she kept talking
about naming me either one or the other, my dad was able to change her mind. My grandparents are from
all over Europe: Italy, Ireland, Poland (hence the crazy last name with lots of z’s), and Germany. When I
was born, my hair was very dark and it was evident that I had more olivey skin tone. My dad looked at my
mom and said, let’s name her Gina. And that is how I got my very Italian name. Even though I may not
look super Italian, I am my dad’s Italian baby. I feel blessed that I was able to honor his heritage in this
manner and feel that this name suits me better than any others.
2.
My Family: I have two parents that are happily married: Jim and Phyllis. They are very loving and
supportive of me and each other. I am one of three kids: Brett is my older brother and Mikayla is my
younger sister. I am only a year younger than my brother—so we were very close when we were growing
up because we were always in the same phase of life. My brother works for Zurich Insurance as a financial
analyst, so he is definitely more “math brained” just like my dad. My sister is a nurse, just like my mother.
So, I am sort of the oddball in that I am extraverted and love to talk about my feelings. 
3.
School Involvement: I love the fact that I went to Wheaton North and lived in this community before I
began to teach. Although many of us do not appreciate Wheaton, as it seems a bit boring at times, once you
leave you may come to realize that there is truly no place that feels like home. I am excited to still be a part
of our spirited traditions at Wheaton North, like the Friday Football games. Maybe one day someone can
help me understand football, so I can become a better fan. Even though I am not the most knowledgeable
fan, I am still happy to cheer on my fellow Falcons. I have been here since I was fifteen; so, that is kind of
creepy. But, it seems like I will be here until I am an old lady. Yay for Falcons!
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STEP TWO: Introduction
Add an introduction! Think of these 3 paragraphs as the body of your paper. You have 3 great topics about yourself,
but now we need to add an introduction. Even though these paragraphs will eventually be a speech, you start your
introduction just like any English paper – with an attention getter! There are 4 common attention getters:
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Quote
A shocking fact or statistic
Rhetorical question
Short story or anecdote
After your attention getter, state the purpose of your speech. This is pretty much your claim – just like an English
paper! Stating your purpose should be extremely blunt and you should tell your audience what they are going to
hear/learn from your speech. Following your speech’s purpose should be a list of your main points. This is a
roadmap for your audience so that they know exactly where your speech is going. For this speech, each main point
is one of your selected topics. Your 3 paragraphs = 3 main points!
Introduction Example:
The saying “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is a compliment. This is very true of my life, as I have stayed
very close to the place and the family that I love: Wheaton, IL. Today, I’m going to share a little bit about myself by
telling you about how my parents named me, a little bit about my family, and my love for the Falcons.
STOP HERE. We will pick up here tomorrow.
STEP THREE: Conclusion
Add a conclusion! Is this structure starting to sound familiar? That’s because it is! It’s just like writing a paper. In
your speech conclusion you need to summarize the main points and your speech’s purpose (restate the introduction
in new words!). What differentiates your introduction from the conclusion is that your speech ends with a clincher.
The clincher is basically a thought-provoking statement to leave your audience with. To be most effective, your
clincher should tie back to your attention getter! For instance, shed new light on the inspiring quote, answer your
rhetorical question, ask your audience what they will do in response to the shocking fact, or revisit the antidote.
Example Conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed getting to know me on a personal level by learning about my name, my family, and my school
involvement. As you have witnessed, there is much more to me than being just a teacher. So next time you meet
someone new let them introduce themself and really get to know their core.
STEP FOUR: Transitions
Now let’s turn this jumbled up mess into a speech. What you have right now looks like a paper with an introduction,
3 body paragraphs or main points, and a conclusion. We need to keep in mind that this is a speech and therefore will
be read aloud. Your audience will need a little help following along since they are only listening to your speech and
not visually reading it. One way to help your audience keep track is by adding clear transitions between your main
points. We all know transitional words like First, Next, Then but we are going to use transitional phrases or
sentences to flow from one main topic to the next. A transitional phrase gently introduces the new topic and helps
keep the audience on track so they can follow your speech.
Example transition from first main point (name) to second main point (family):
WITHOUT TRANSITION:
I feel blessed that I was able to honor his heritage in this manner and feel that this name suits me better than any
others.
I have two parents that are happily married: Jim and Phyllis.
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WITH TRANSITION:
I feel blessed that I was able to honor his heritage in this manner and feel that this name suits me better than any
others.
Speaking of my family heritage, it would be impossible for me to be here if it weren’t for my parents. I have two
parents that are happily married: Jim and Phyllis.
STEP FIVE: Make sure it sounds right
Holy Muffins! You have a speech! Before moving on, read this speech aloud a couple of times. You might feel
foolish, but reading it aloud is the most beneficial when practicing a speech because that is how the audience is
going to hear it! So, as you read aloud, make sure it sounds right. Ask yourself the following questions:
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Is my attention getter interesting and actually get the audience’s attention?
Does my introduction include a clear purpose? Is it blunt and accurate?
Does my introduction preview the main points of my speech?
Does each of my body paragraphs have a specific main point?
Do the body paragraphs stay on topic or is it rambling nonsense?
Do the body paragraphs relate to the purpose of my speech?
Do I have clear transitions between the body paragraphs the help ease the flow?
Does my conclusion restate my purpose and my main points?
Is my clincher effective and leave the audience with something to think about?
STEP SIX: Outline
Great! Now that you have this wonderful speech that is written word-for-word we are going to turn it into an
outline! When you give speeches, you most likely will only have an outline to go off of instead of an entire speech
written out in long hand. We call this outline a Speech Plan because it helps you deliver your speech without having
to read it directly off the paper, but it still keeps you on task. Here is the basic format for your speech plan:
I.
Introduction
a. Attention Getter (Full Sentence)
b. Purpose (Full Sentence)
c. List of 3 main points
II.
Main Point #1
a. Transition (if necessary) (Full Sentence)
b. Main Point #1
i. Details
ii. Details
iii. Details
III.
Main Point #2
a. Transition
b. Main Point #2
i. Details
ii. Details
iii. Details
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IV.
Main Point #3
a. Transition
b. Main Point #3
i. Details
ii. Details
iii. Details
V.
Conclusion
a. Restate Purpose (Full Sentence)
b. Restate Main Points
c. Clincher (Full Sentence)
In addition to formatting your speech into a Speech Plan or Outline, we are also going to cut down on writing it
word-for-word and instead use Trigger Phrases. Trigger phrases are phrases that help you remember what you
wrote or what you wanted to say without writing it word for word. The good news is that you have already written
out your speech long hand and read it a few times so you know what you are trying to say! Just replace the entire
sentence with a simple trigger phrase so that your brain remembers what the sentence was about!
Example:
SENTENCE: I have a very special story connected to how I was named.
TRIGGER PHRASE: Dierdre to Gina
Example: How I got my name: My mom really wanted to name me Samantha or Dierdre because she loved those
names as a child. Even though she kept talking about naming me either one or the other, my dad was able to change
her mind. My grandparents are from all over Europe: Italy, Ireland, Poland (hence the crazy last name with lots of
z’s), and Germany. When I was born, my hair was very dark and it was evident that I had more olivey skin tone. My
dad looked at my mom and said, let’s name her Gina. And that is how I got my very Italian name. Even though I
may not look super Italian, I am my dad’s Italian baby. I feel blessed that I was able to honor his heritage in this
manner and feel that this name suits me better than any others.
II. Main Point #1
a.
How I got my name
1. Other name options
2. Relatives/ancestors
3. Physical attributes at birth